Weaving machine system



May 27, 1969 L. R. WELLMAN WEAVING MACHINE SYSTEM Sheet Filed May 12,1986 Li I: l W, I I ,i: M

IN VEN TOR esier B, lllellman May 27, 1969 L. R. WELLMAN WEAVING MACHINESYSTEM File May 1966 1969 L. R. WELLMAN WEAVING MACHINE SYSTEM SheetFiled May 12. 1966 May 27, 1969 L. R. WELLMAN WEAVING MACHINE SYSTEM y1969 L. R. WELLMAN 3,446,249

wEAvING MACHINE SYSTEM Filed May 12. 1966 Sheet 5 of 7 42 24 7 G4 12 I870 2 4 p 40 ,44 40 30 PEG. 14

May 27, 1969 L. R. WE LLMAN WEAVING MACHINE SYSTEM Sheet Filed May 12,1966 FIG. 15

y 27, 1969 1.. R.-WELLMAN 3,446,249

WEAVING MACHINE SYSTEM Filed May 12, 1966 Sheet 7 of? Fire: 19

United States Patent Oflice 3,446,249 Patented May 27, 1969 U.S. Cl.139-11 22 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a weaving machine,longitudinal threads are interwoven with transverse threads in a weavingplane, the transverse threads being moved along the weaving plane bytheir ends, and for a length of travel are restricted in all but aforward direction, the ends of alternate threads being moved forward indiverging directions through wave paths extending above and below theweaving plane forming side openings, thus controllably compacting threadspacing at the restriction area and longitudinal threads being insertedthrough said side openings and trapped progressively outwardly towardthe ends of the transverse threads, the longitudinal threads beingtrapped by the crossing alternate transverse threads to form a woven webmoving generally along the weaving plane.

This invention relates to a unique construction and method suitable foruse in the weaving of materials. The invention is particularly directedto a weaving machine which is capable of combining threads in wovenpatterns whereby lengths of material can be produced in a highlyeconomical and efiicient manner.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a weaving machinesystem comprising a construction and method which is uniquely suitablefor the efficient production of lengths of material.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a weavingmachine construction which is characterized by a unique operatingarrangement permitting the formation of woven material at exceptionallyhigh speeds and with exceptional reliability.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a weavingmachine construction which employs structural arrangmeents characterizedby highly reliable operation whereby the weaving can proceed withoutencountering expensive down time for threading or mechanical failure.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a system ofthe type described which is characterized by great versatility from thestandpoint of the types of woven material that can be produced, whichcan be easily adjusted for purposes of accommodating differentproduction rates and different types of materials, which can be producedat low initial cost and maintained at low cost, and which requireslittle supervision during a production run.

These and other objects of this invention will appear hereinafter andfor purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, a specificembodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view illustrating the basic nature of theweaving machine construction of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic plan view taken about the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the arrangementof threads at the entry end of the construction, alternate threads beingbroken away near their center where they engage the guide rods;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the operation of theguide means employed at the entry end;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of a section of thethread interchange mechanisms of the machine;

FIGURE 6 is a detail illustration of one method of accomplishing threadtransfer employed in the machine operation;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view of a conveyor belt and associatedthread holding hook;

FIGURE 7A is an end view taken about the line 7a-- 7a of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 8 is a top view of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a detail illustration of a thread locking sleeve employed inconjunction with the thread holding hook;

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken about the line 1010of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 11 is a bottom view of the arrangement shown in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional view of the weaving zone of theconstruction near the entry end;

FIGURE 13 is a cross sectional View of the weaving zone near the exitend;

FIGURE 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the threadtransfer mechanism;

FIGURES 15 through 17 comprise schematic illustrations of mechanismsadapted to be employed for achieving pick-up of threads by the conveyorbelts;

FIGURE 18 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, taken at a transferpoint and illustrating a suitable drive mechanism for the construction;

FIGURE 19 is a side view taken about the line 19-19 of FIGURE 18; and,

FIGURE 20 is a sectional view taken 2020 of FIGURE 18.

General machine operation The weaving machine construction of thisinvention generally comprises conveyor means which are adapted to carryrows of threads through the weaving zone of the machine. The threadscarried by the conveyor means extend transversely across the machine,and these conveyOr means releasably hold the treads at the ends of thethreads.

Means are provided for carrying the conveyors whereby the conveyorsdefine an undulating path whereby the ends of the threads held by theconveyors will also define an undulating path. The conveyors are suchthat upper and lower transverse rows of threads are presented to themachine, and the ends of each of these upper and lower rows define theundulating paths, and these undulating paths periodically meet in theweaving zone.

The means carrying the conveyors and the conveyors are designed wherebythe ends of the threads held by the respective conveyors are exchangedas the conveyors meet. The threads held by an upper conveyor aretransferred to the lower conveyor while the threads held by the lowerconveyor are transferred to the upper conveyor.

Immediately before this transferring operation, longitudinal threads areintroduced periodically or at specific points discretely along thelength of the weaving zone. These longitudinal threads are introducedinto spaces defined between the conveyors and, due to the periodictransferring action above described, the longitudinal threads becometrapped by or woven into the threads carried by the conveyors. Themachine operation is such that the longitudinal threads are woven intothe material in the direction of movement of the machine while thetransverse threads are disposed substantially perpendicular to thedirection of movement of the machine.

about the line FIGURE 1 illustrates the general nature of themachinec'onstruction. The machine includes conveyors consisting ofseparate belts riding over support rolls 12. The belts are adapted topick up transversely oriented threads 14 from feeders 16.

As best shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the threads 14 are secured .to thebelts 10 by means of hooks 18. The belts are adapted to carry thethreads into the entry end of the machine, and the belts then engage afirst pair of pulleys-22. The belt pass around this first pair ofpulleys onto the first set of guide pulleys 24. The belts are then moveddownwardly over transfer pulleys 26 and back to the next set of guidepulleys 24. The belts thus define an undulating path along the entireweaving zone of the construction to the exit end 28.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the manner in which additional threads 30:, whenfed into the weaving zone, become associated with the transverse threads14. The first threads introduced extend longitudinally along the centerline of the weaving zone. As these additional threads accumulate, thethreads introduced are progressively located nearer the edge ofthematerial whereby the completed fabric 32 is produced. A bolt 34 ofmaterial is then collected on the roll 36 beyond the exit end of theconstruction.

The weaving operation FIGURES 3, 4, 5, 12 and 13 best illustrate themanner in which the weaving action is accomplished. As noted, thepulleys 24 and 26 cause the conveyor belts to undergo an undulatingaction during their movement through the weaving zone. This results inthe formation of openings or cone-like configurations of transversethread travel all along'the length of the weaving zone at the sides ofthe zone.

In the central section of the zone, there are provided a pair of guiderods 38. These rods engage the threads entering the weaving zone andhold the threads in a plane at the center of the weaving zone.Accordingly, the closed and flattened end of a vortex is formed whichextends into an opening of fixed shape at the outer edges of the zone,1each upper and lower half of the vortex being a standing wave.

Supply tubes 40 are adapted to be inserted into each of these vortexopenings. Spools 42 supply threads for these tubes, and the ends 46 ofthe tubes extend to points adjacent-the end of the vortex openings. Inthis manner, the additional threads 30 are delivered in the manner shownin FIGURE 2. Obviously, other mechanical means can be employed forguiding the threads, for example, by the use of pulleys at the ends ofthe tubes 40. The threads can also be blown in or other non-mechanicalmeans can be employed.

' The actual weaving action results due to the fact that the transferpulleys 26 include means for transferring the hooks holding the threadends. For example, all of the hooks carried by the lowermost conveyorbelt 10 shown in FIGURE 5 will be transferred to the uppermost conveyorbelt 10 by the action of the first pair of transfer pulleys 26. At thesame time, the hooks from the upper belt 10 are transferred to the lowerbelt. As the belts again meet at the second pair of transfer pulleys 26,the reverse action takes place whereby the upper hooks move to the lowerbelt, and the lower hooks move to the upper belt.

Thread transfer mechanisms The transfer of the threads is accomplisheddue to the design of the hooks 18 carrying the threads, the design ofthe belts 10 carrying the hooks, and the design of the transfer pulleys26. The design of the hooks 18 and belts 10 is best illustrated inFIGURES 7 through 11.

The hook includes a recess 44 at its outer end for receiving a thread14. Bends 47 are preferably formed in the hook in order to preventrotation about its own axis and thereby to insure alignment of the hookwith respect to the belt 10. As shown in FIGURE 8, grooves 48 can beformed in the edges of the belt at each hook position whereby the bends47 will fit within the grooves and thereby maintain the hook in properalignment. The grooves only loosely guide the hooks to avoid binding asthe belts separate.

The head of the hook comprises a shank portion 50 and an enlarged end52. The shank 50 is adapted to fit into an elongated recess 54 formed inthe belt 10. The head 52 fits into a channel 56 extending along thelength of the belt whereby the hooks will always be maintained in aconstant position with respect to the belt.

The belt also includes teeth 58 which are employed for achievingintermeshing of adjacent belts whereby precise alignment of the recesses54 can be accomplished. Openings 60 are defined by the belts in the areaof the shank portions 50 of the hooks 18.

A sleeve 62 can be located around the outer portions of the hook 18 forpurposes of securing the threads 14 to the hooks. The sleeve 62 includesan end 64 having the corners cut off to permit some give wherebypressure can be applied against threads 14. Recesses 70 and 72 arelocated in the sleeve 62, and corresponding recesses 74 and 76 areformed in the hook 18. As will be explained, these recesses permitengagement of devices to efiect sliding movement of the sleeve relativeto the hook for gripping and releasing a thread 14..

The design of the transfer pulleys 26 is best illustrated in FIGURES 5,6 and 14. Each of the pulleys 26 is mounted for rotation about the shaft82. Cams 84 are fixed to the shaft within the confines of the pulleys26. Thus, the pulleys 26 rotate relative to stationary earns 84.

Each of the pulleys 26 carries a plurality of pins 86. These pins areslidably received in openings 88 defined by flanges 90 of the pulleys.As shown in FIGURE 14, the pins 86 are adapted to engage the edges 92 ofthe stationary cams 84.

As shown in FIGURE 5, the pins remain in the same position on thesurface 92 for the majority of their rotation about the cam 84. However,the surface 92 includes a cam rise area 94, and as the pins move aroundthe cam, they are caused to ride up this rise 94.

As illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 14, the cam rise 94 causes the pins 86to move into the openings 60 defined by the belts 10. The pins engagethe portion 50 of the hooks and thereby force the hooks out ofassociation with one belt 10 and into the openings 54 of the adjacentbelt 10. Restoration of the pins can be accomplished by any suitablemeans, for example, as described with reference to FIGURE 18.

The means for mounting the pins 86 shown in FIG- URES 18 and 20 comprisea mounting disc 96 holding the stems 98 of the pins 86. The disc 96rotates about the shaft 82 and, accordingly, the disc rotates relativeto the stationary cam 84. The stems 98 act as spring members whereby thepin ends 86 will continuously bear against the cam surfaces so that thepins will be automatically restored when they fall off the cam rise 94.

It will be noted that in FIGURE 18, the cam 84 is tied to the shaftoutwardly of the confines of pulley 26. With this arrangement, the stem98 bears against the cam surface rather than the pin portion 86. Thiscomprises a suitable alternative to the arrangement shown in FIGURE 14.

It will be noted that the pins 86 are alternately positioned on any twoadjacent transfer pulleys 26. Thus, a pin from one side is adapted topush a hook to the other side, and on this other side, the opening 60 isempty so that there will be no interference during the transfer of thehook. In this connection, the resilient character of the belts allowsspreading of the entry to the openings 54 for easy transfer. Also eachis firmly backed up by the opposing pulley surfaces.

Drive mechanisms It is extremely important to provide reliable drivemeans for the belts and pulleys since proper synchronization is criticalto the operation of the system. The teeth 58 are formed in the belts sothat the belts will mesh with each other in the vicinity of the hooktransfer as shown in FIGURE 6. The interconnection of the pulleys andbelts as shown in FIGURE 14 is also susceptible to a meshingrelationship whereby positive synchronization can be accomplished. Thus,the elements 78 and 80 may comprise a tooth and corresponding recess toprovide positive meshing alignment.

A suitable drive mechanism is illustrated in FIGURES 12, 18 and 19. Thisdrive mechanism involves the use of sprockets 100 attached to the shaft82 which carries transfer pulleys 26. The sprockets may be formedintegrally with the pulleys or they may comprise separate membersattached to the bushing.

As shown in FIGURE 19, the peripheral edges of the sprockets definerecesses 102 which receive pins 104 of the drive chain 106. With thisarrangement, a highly desirable synchronization of the sprocketmovements can be achieved since the single chain 106 drives both theupper and lower sprockets and thereby the upper and lower transferpulleys. Obviously, the chain 106 can extend along the entire length ofthe weaving zone. It will be apparent, however, that the drive sprocketsneed not be placed at every position. It will be apparent that with asingle drive mechanism of the type described, the production speed canbe easily regulated by varying the speed of the drive chain.

The drive means referred to eliminates longitudinal strain on the belts,and it will be noted that both sets of pulleys can be positionallyadjusted to pull outwardly on the belts for increasing or relaxing thetransfer thread tension without altering the other operations.

When referring to FIGURES 12 and 13, it will be noted that the angle ofthe threads 14 changes as the width of the woven production increases. Acorresponding change in the deposition of the pulleys 24 is preferred.Suitable driving action can be accomplished even with this change wherethe belts are designed in the manner illustrated in FIGURES 7 through11. Specifically, the belt may be manufactured with slits 103 formedbetween each hook holding position. The belts are actually securedtogether only at their ends 110. A reinforcing web 112 may be embeddedin the belt ends to provide added strength. With this arrangement, thebelts can readily flex to accommodate any arc forced by angling of thepulleys between the pulleys 26 and 24.

The particular drive means described is not intended to limit thecoverage of the instant invention. Obviously, other suitable drive meansmay be utilized to accomplish the movement of the belts through theweaving zone.

Transfer thread pick-up mechanism As noted, the transverse threads couldbe attached to the hooks 18 in any desired manner including attachmentby hand. This latter technique would, however, considerably limitoperating speed, and it is, therefore, preferred to provide an automaticloading technique whereby the threads can be automatically attached tothe books at high speed, for example, from a scrim making machine.

Scrim making equipment of the type manufactured by the CyberneticsCorporation, Nashua Paper Company or by Union Carbide. Such machines aredesigned whereby rows of transversely disposed thread can becontinuously presented to the conveyor belts 10. In the typicaloperation of such known machines, the threads are presented at intervalsof /2 inch. If five such machines are employed on each side of theapparatus as shown in FIGURE 1, then the combination of the upper andlower flights of conveyors will be carrying threads per inch of conveyorlength at the entry end 20 of the construction.

A fender element 118 engages the hooks which have been picked up by thelifting elements 116 carried by wheel 114. As noted in FIGURE 17, thefender elements 6 engage the hooks near the outer ends whereby theopposite ends of the hooks are still held by the belt 10.

As the hooks rise on the fender element, the threads 14 presented by thescrim making equipment, or by other conventional means, are engaged bythe recess 44 of the hooks. At this point, a plate is received by therecess 74 in the sleeve 62 as the hooks continue their travel along thefender 118. This plate acts as a cam whereby the sleeve 62 will moveforward and grasp the thread 14. The plate 120 may be mounted on avibrating member 122 whereby the camming action of the hook will befacilitated by the vibrating action.

With the threads 14 grasped by the hooks, continued movement of thebelts will bring the ends of the hooks to the end of the fender 118whereby the hooks can travel to the entry end of the construction. Itwill be apparent that the provision of the recess 72 in the sleeve 62will permit release of the thread ends at the opposite end of theweaving zone.

The woven product As the threads 14 move into the weaving zone, theupper and lower threads combine whereby 10 threads per inch pass betweenthe entry pulleys 22. At this point, the ends of the threads commencetheir undulating movement while the centers of the threads, restrainedby the rods 38, are maintained in the same level plane. This results inbunching of the threads at the center, and if, for example, the belttravel exceeds the distance of travel at the center by five times, thenthe density of threads at the center will increase to 50 threads perinch. Obviously, the number of threads per inch in the finished productcan be readily controlled by varying the number of threads fed into themachine. It should be noted, however, that the pulleys 24 can beadjusted relative to the pulleys 26 so as to increase or decrease thedistance of movement of the belts relative to the distance of movementof the center of the threads. Such adjustments will automatically varythe density of the threads in the finished product.

It is to be particularly noted that the mechanisms employed forattaching the threads to the hooks carried by the belts do not form apart of this invention. Conventional equipment is available for thispurpose; however, various other means could be devised for locatingtransverse rows of threads between the hooks on the outside flights ofthe respective conveyors. Obviously, this could even be accomplished byhand, although this would slow down the production rate.

Where automatic equipment is employed, the transverse threads can beattached to the hooks while the belts are moving at the rate of 50 feetper minute. This will provide a production rate of 10 feet per minute ifa 5:1 ratio of belt speed to center line speed is maintained in theweaving zone. It is contemplated, however, that much higher speeds couldbe employed since there is no speed limiting factors as in the case oftypical looms where the time-consuming insertion of transverse threadsis necessary, plus the intermittent motion of the web.

There are also no limitations with respect to the width of materialwhich can be handled, and it is obvious that the weaving of dual, trebleand quadruple threads can readily be accomplished by controlling thethread trans fer at various locations and by inserting any desirednumber of threads through the guide tubes.

The operating characteristics of the construction described provideother extremely valuable features when compared with conventional looms.Specifically, the operation of this system is continuous since thesupply of both the transverse and longitudinal threads can readily beundertaken in a continuous fashion. In the event of any breakage in thethreads, the machine operation can simply continue without interruptionsince the defective area can be readily cut out of the finished product.It is contemplated that the longitudinal threads supplied by the tubes 740 can be blown in, and it will be obvious that if the threads should bebroken, then only a small area of the total product will be affected.

In order to achieve a woven product of sufficient width, it is quitepossible that as many as 800 of the guide tubes 40 will be associated atthe sides of the construction. Since this would result in a constructionof considerable length, it is conceivable that the construction will beformed in a plurality of folds whereby sufficient operating length canbe achieved by using vertical space. In this connection, it will beapparent that proper functioning of the machine does not depend upon theorientation of the machine with the horizontal, and various curves andother modifications are clearly possible without disrupting the basicoperating features.

It will be understood that other changes and modifications may be madein the above described construction which provide the characteristics ofthis invention without departing from the spirit thereof, particularlyas defined in the following claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. A weaving machine construction comprising conveyor means adapted tocarry rows of transverse threads through the machine, means releasablyconnecting the ends of said transverse threads to said conveyor means,said threads extending transversely across the machine in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of saidconveyor means, said conveyor means comprising separate conveyorslocated on opposite sides of the machine, means for carrying saidconveyors into the weaving zone of the machine, means for moving therespective conveyors vicinity of the ends of said transverse threadswhile the conveyors are in said weaving zone, and wherein the conveyorsperiodically meet within said weaving zone, and means for transferringthe ends of said transverse threads from one conveyor to an adjacentconveyor during the time said conveyors meet in said weaving zonewhereby said ends are alternately carried by the separate conveyors, andincluding means supplying longitudinal threads at points along saidweaving zone, said supplying means alternating with the meeting pointsof said conveyors, said longitudinal threads being taken up by thetransverse threads carried by said conveyors and being positionedsubstantially perpendicular thereto for travel in the direction ofmovement of said conveyors, said longitudinal threads being woven intosaid transverse threads as a result of the transferring action of saidconveyors.

2. A construction in accordance with claim 1 wherein said conveyor meanscomprises a pair of flexible conveyors on one side of said machine forreleasably carrying each end of transverse threads on said one side, anda corresponding pair of flexible conveyors on the opposite side of saidmachine for releasably carrying each end of the transverse threads onsaid opposite side, and wherein said pairs of conveyors bring therespective transverse rows into converging relationship at the beginningof said weaving zone and increasing the row density of said transversethreads.

3. A construction in accordance with claim 2 wherein the centers of saidconverging transverse rows are held in a substantially constant line oftravel whereby the undulating action imparted to the ends of saidtransverse threads by said conveyors results in the formation of aplurality of cone-like configurations of transverse threads along thepath of travel of said conveyors.

4. A construction in accordance with claim 3 wherein said supplyingmeans feed said longitudinal threads into said cone-like configurationsto the flattened ends of the configuration, and wherein said flattenedends are formed at the meeting points of said conveyors whereby saidlongitudinal threads are trapped by the transverse threads as they aretransferred at said meeting points so that the longitudinal threads canbe carried through the machine.

5. A construction in accordance with claim 4 wherein through anundulating path in the guide means employed for delivering longitudinalthreads from said supplying means to said flattened ends, the guidemeans at the leading end of said portion of travel delivering saidlongitudinal threads to the center of said rows, and said guide meansbecoming progressively shorter as said longitudinal threads build uptransversely across the machine.

6. A construction in accordance with claim 2 wherein said conveyorscomprise elongated belts, and wherein the means for releasably carryingthe ends of said transverse threads comprise gripping hooks, andincluding recesses formed in said belts for resiliently holding saidhooks.

7. A construction in accordance with claim 6 wherein said belts defineteeth which are adapted to enter into meshing relationship at saidmeeting points whereby the movement of opposed belts can besynchronized.

8. A construction in accordance with claim 6 including transfer pulleysfor carrying said belts at said meeting points, cam means associatedwith said pulleys, and means acted on by said cam means for engagingsaid hooks and for thereby forcing said hooks out of one belt and intoreleasable engagement with an opposed belt.

9. A construction in accordance with claim 8 wherein said belts defineopenings communicating with the recesses holding said hooks, andincluding pins carried by said transfer pulleys, said cam means beingadapted to force said pins into said openings in said belts to therebyforce said hooks out of said recesses.

10. A construction in accordance with claim 9 wherein said transferpulleys define flanges which form an open interior in the pulleys, saidcams comprising stationary members located within said interiors, andsaid pins being located in openings extending through said flangeswhereby one end of said pins is adapted to ride on said cams while theother end of said pins is provided for engagement with said hooks.

11. A construction in accordance with claim 10' wherein said hooks arecarried in every other recess on said belts, and wherein the pins insaid pulleys are spaced apart by a distance corresponding to every otherrecess in said belts, the pins in any two opposed pulleys being adaptedgo alternately engage the successive hooks carried by said elts.

12. A construction in accordance with claim 6 including projecting meansdefined by said hooks, and means defined by said belts for receivingsaid projecting means whereby said hooks are maintained in alignment asthey transfer from one belt to another.

13. In a weaving process in which longitudinal threads are interwovenwith transverse threads in a weaving plane, the steps of advancing aplurality of transverse threads along the weaving plane by ends of thetransverse threads and moving the ends of alternate threads in divergingdirections through wave paths above and below said weaving plane formingside openings which plane is generally the center line of the openingsthus formed, and inserting longitudinal threads through said openingsand in an advancing direction to be trapped by the crossing alternatetransverse threads to form a woven web moving generally along saidweaving plane.

14. The process of claim 13 in which said longitudinal threads areinterwoven with transverse thread ends progressively approaching saidopenings through the trapping action of the crossing of transversethreads.

15. The process of claim 13 in which at entry the transverse threads areconfined in said Weaving plane and the ends of alternate transversethreads are moved in wave paths at the opposite sides of said weavingplane to form side openings and into which longitudinal threads areinserted and trapped by the changing position of alternate transversethreads and drawing said longitudinal threads forwardly, thus forming awoven web in said weaving plane.

16. The process of claim 13 in which the longitudinal threads areinterwoven first with said middle portions of said transverse threadsand then progressively outwardly toward outer portions of saidtransverse threads.

17. The process of claim 13 in which the longitudinal threads may beintroduced through openings following the openings through which saidlongitudinal threads already interwoven with portions of said transversethreads were inserted.

18. A method for weaving a length of material, comprising the steps ofcontinuously supplying separately-held transversely arranged threads,moving a portion of the threads into compacted relationship, moving thethreads through a weaving zone while maintaining a portion of saidthreads at substantially the same plane of movement, moving both ends ofsaid threads forward in diverging directions through undulating pathsextending above and below the weaving plane forming side openingswhereby the successive ends meet and cross periodically through thelength of said weaving zone, introducing longitudinal threads into thevortex formed by rows of transverse threads at spaced points along saidweaving zone, and exchanging the ends of said transverse threads at saidmeeting points whereby additional longitudinal threads are presented tobe trapped and woven into the transverse threads, the trapped threadsbeing thus drawn along and disposed longitudinally in relation to saidtransverse threads.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein repetitive cone-likeconfigurations are defined by the transverse thread ends and thereinsaid longitudinal threads are introduced into the opening of thecone-like configurations repeated along the weaving zone whereby saidlongitudinal threads are trapped by the crossing transverse threads.

20. In a weaving process in which transverse threads are compacted, thesteps of advancing a plurality of said transverse threads over similarlengths of forward travel,

moving both ends of said threads in diverging directions through weavepaths extending above and below the weaving plane forming side openingsand restricting the central portions of said transverse threads in allbut forward movements while moving the ends of said threads throughlonger paths at greater speed.

21. The process of claim 13 in which the ends of unwoven portions of thetransverse threads are made to travel through successive undulatingpaths above and below the Weaving plane While the resulting wave formsmaintain the same distance from the edge of the Weaving plane wherebyeven tension is maintained on said transverse threads.

22. The process of claim 13 in which the longitudinal thread ends arepositioned in the crossing points of said transverse threads which aremade to alternately cross, thereby trapping the longitudinal threads anddrawing them along with their forward movement so that the crossing ofthe following transverse threads continuously interweaves longitudinalthreads.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 579,312 3/1897 Arnold 139-111,541,086 6/1925 Wheeler 13911 2,000,643 5/1935 Morton 6685 2,392,489 1/1946 Martin 139-28 2,742,058 4/1956 Gentilini 139-28 2,948,302 8/1960Bejeuhr 13911 3,030,786 4/1962 Mauersberger 66-84 3,156,027 11/1964Wellrnan 281 FOREIGN PATENTS 583,830 10/1958 Italy. 112,278 10/ 1964Czechoslovakia.

JAMES KEE CHI, Primary Examiner,

